A former Scotland Yard detective says the man wanted in connection with the disappearance of Madeleine McCann wore a rare long-sleeve t-shirt designed by a beer company.

Peter Bleksley, 54, a founding member of the Metropolitan Police's undercover unit, believes the 'pot-bellied' suspect had a shirt with a logo from the Portuguese drinks company Super Bock.

The revelation comes a week before the seven anniversary of her disappearance from a Praia de Luz in the Algarve.

He is said to have worn the distinctive burgundy shirt on two occasions in Vale
de Parra and Praia da Gale, with one witness saying the clothing had a white circle on it.

Revelation: A former Scotland Yard detective believes he has discovered more details of the burgundy shirt (mock image right) that was said to be worn by a suspect linked with Madeleine's disappearance

The suspect has been linked with attacks on another five British girls and is said to have targeted 12 families in the region between 2004 and 2010.

The victims – including a
ten-year-old molested in Praia da Luz – were sexually assaulted and
there was one ‘near miss’ when the intruder was disturbed in
neighbouring resorts.

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Police have received more than 500 calls about attacks that could be linked to the unidentified man, but the detail of the shirt's design could be a significant development in the search for the girl, who would now be 10-years old.

The circular logo has the manufacturer's name on a maroon background and can be seen in bars and pubs around Portugal.

Mr Bleksley told the Sunday Express: 'Some people have suggested it bore resemblance to a strip once worn by the Arsenal football team.

Possible locations: A number of claims concering alleged attacks have been made along the southern coast of Algarve, many of them in resorts popular with British tourists

Struggle: Kate McCann (pictured left, alongside her husband Gerry) said the worst thing is not knowing what happened to Madeleine after she went missing seven years ago this week

'However, I think a more likely explanation could be that the man was wearing one of these Super Bock promotional t-shirts.

Revelation: The Met previously released an image of the shirt which witnesses said the suspect could have been wearing

'Therefore
it would be possible to check back on all the designs and the years
they were produced and see which one bears most similarity to that
witnessed by families.

The suspect, who is said to have broken into the apartments of
five young girls to assault them believe he may be a local binman described as ‘smelly and pot-bellied’.

The tanned, dark-haired man is suspected
of breaking into holiday properties where British families were staying
and sexually abusing five white British girls aged between seven and
10, Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood said last month.

The mystery man is also said to have ‘a vile interest in young, white, female children’.

Since launching an appeal into other alleged attacks, six other British
families have come forward to report that their children aged six to 12
fell victim to the offender over the same period.

Scotland Yard are hoping to begin ‘operational activity’ on the
ground in Portugal, raising hopes that arrests could be imminent.

The McCann family will mark the seventh anniversary of her disappearance this week. Her mother, Kate, will relive her heartache on Thursday during an interview with Lorraine Kelly.

Madeleine would be ten-years-old, but her mother still believes she will be found.

Hopes: Madeleine would now be ten-years-old and the increase in operational activity from Scotland Yard could lead to more arrests

A source close to Kate told The Daily Star on Sunday: 'She wants to speak from the heart to thank the public for their continued support over these seven difficult years and to viewers she still hopes Madeleine will be found.

The couple's spokesman Clarence Mitchell said yesterday: 'There is lots of information that still needs to be checked and Kate and Gerry

Madeleine disappeared from her family’s
holiday apartment on May 3, 2007, as her parents Kate and Gerry dined at
a nearby restaurant.

Scotland Yard declined to comment on the new allegations, but said anyone with information should call police on 020 7321 9251 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

A street in the Praia Da Luz resort where an Irish holiday maker and his wife claim they saw a mystery person with a child about the same time as Madeleine McCann disappeared in May 2007